Senator GEORGE MITCHELL Officially Opens New CSS Facility
£25 (US $40) Million Investment in State-of-the-Art Facility for CSS
Senator George Mitchell today (1st September 2003) officially opened Almac House in Craigavon – the new Headquarters of CSS (Chemical Synthesis Services).
A capital investment of £25 (US $40) million in the 88,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility for innovative sciences makes CSS Ireland’s largest chemistry service provider and strengthens the company’s position as a leading global provider of chemistry services.
The investment will have a positive effect on employment, with an additional 200 jobs being created over the next three to five years.
CSS is owned by Dr Allen McClay CBE, the founder and former Chairman of Galen Holdings plc. The company occupies a strategic position among the companies owned by Dr McClay, which also includes CTS (Clinical Trial Services) and ICTI (Interactive Clinical Technologies Inc). By 2006, approximately 1,400 people will be employed by these companies.
At today’s official opening, which was attended by international customers, local dignitaries, and CSS staff, Dr McClay, said:
“ CSS is an important link in the chain of services our companies provide for Pharma, Biotech and Virtual companies world-wide. In the provision of these state-of-the-art facilities it further strengthens our objective of becoming a global leader in this important sector.
“Increased job creation is one of the positive outcomes of the investment. This new facility will also enable CSS to further develop the global business opportunities that exist and to expand the services we offer in a range of new areas.”
Speaking at the opening, Ian Pearson MP, NIO Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment said;
“CSS is a dynamic and entrepreneurial company which has experienced rapid growth on the world stage in its formative years. These premises, which are on a par with the best in the world, indicate confidence in the further development of the company and send out a strong signal to the global market as to the leading edge research being carried out in Northern Ireland and the infrastructure which exists to support it.”
CSS operates on three sites in Northern Ireland. In addition to the Craigavon-based facility there is a Research and Development Facility at Queen’s University Belfast and an analytical services center in Coleraine.
Almac Sciences and its affiliated companies provide pharmaceutical services across a wide range of activities from drug discovery to process development and clinical trials. Additional Operations are based in USA (Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California) and London. CSS, CTS and ICTI were purchased from Galen Holdings plc over the past 18 months.
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All media enquiries on CSS:
Darlene McCormick
life COMMUNICATIONS
Tel: 028 9024 8805
Or
Dr Stephen Barr, CSS
Tel: +44 (0) 28 38 332200
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- CSS is one of Europe’s fastest-growing contract chemistry companies, providing research chemicals and the full range of analytical services to the pharmaceutical, life science, fine chemical, agrochemical and related industries world-wide.
- CSS was acquired from Galen Holdings PLC previously in January 2002 for £25 million.
- CSS provides fully integrated support for activities from drug discovery through to Phase I, II, and III and commercialisation and offers its global customers a seamless service from basic R&D and small-scale synthesis to kilogram manufacture operating to cGMP and all supporting services.
- The CSS customer base includes 16 of the top 20 Pharma companies worldwide as well as biotechs, virtuals and universities.
- CSS services include:
- research chemicals for library synthesis
- route design and selection
- multistage synthesis from grams to kilograms
- process development and optimisation
- cGMP production including potent compounds and cytotoxics for preclinical toxicology, Phase I, II and III and commercialisation
- synthesis of reference materials, metabolites and impurities
- analytical and bio-analytical services including method development, method validation and drug substance stability studies
- micronisation and particle science services
- The Center of Excellence for synthesis of oligonucleotides opened in January 2003. This is an important growth area in CSS’ business.
- The 88,000 sq ft state-of-the-art laboratory complex has capacity for over 200 scientists.
- New business areas as a result of the investment include:
- a facility for the synthesis and handling of potent compounds (including cytotoxics)
- a suite dedicated to the synthesis and manufacture of biological molecules including oligonucleotides, peptides and carbohydrates
- high Field NMR and Mass Spectometry (MS) facilities
- small-scale cGMP laboratories
- a medium pressure hydrogenation suite
- extensive new R&D and analytical laboratories, and separation science facilities